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While I'm waiting for the snail-mail response from Eastsail Yachts about their Offshore 25, I thought I'd ask around here and see what the general opinion is, if there is one, of this company and their vessels. In case your memory needs jogging, I'm referring to This sailing vessel right here. It seems like a very attractive cutter, and it definitely appeals to my sense of taste.

Anyone have any experiences with this type of sailboat or the company? Dreaming of the future, doing some cruising in the Florida Keys and the Intercoastal Waterway, and it seems like this would be a good choice.

Don't know the company or the boats, but after a look over the website, I'm somewhat confused. $20,000 seems to be a lot of money for 500# of ballast, a diesel engine and 85 sq. ft. of additional sail to go from the "New Moon 25" to the "Offshore 25"...

Both boats are pretty sharp looking, alhtough I think the cabin house is a bit tall for the proportions.

Dunno what your price range is, but you're not at all that far from "Falmouth 22" territory! IMO, a FAR nicer boat with a great pedigree!http://www.samlmorse.com

The "Nor'Sea 27" is one heck of a boat in that price range too. Several circumnavigations in Nor'Seas... (Ahem - the builder has a questionable reputation and I'd make darned sure the i's were dotted and the t's crossed if dealing with them, but man, the boat is supurb! Make them post a performance bond!)http://www.norseayachts.com/home.php

The Falmouth Cutter doesn't appeal stylistically (and you thought the Eastsail had a high cabin), the Bristol Channel Cutter is more appealing but too big, and the Nor'Sea27, well, that stern just looks like it was made for someone else. The Nor'Sea 37 looks more appealing, but again, size is too large. The Eastsail is just about perfect for my kind of style, if there was just a way to hide the height of that cabin.

A second hand Flicka, Stone Horse, etc.? There is a Flicka WITH A TRAILER! for sale here in New Orleans for less than half the price of the 25' Eastsail. The nice thing about the the Flicka is that folks have PROVEN it's capabilites. Fact vs. marketing claims.

1985 Flicka w/trailer near New Orelans for sale with trailer!

Listed with broker (Mayer Yachts, New Orelans) and also on Flicka web site. Lots of pictures at www.yachtworld.com look under 20' Pacific Seacraft.

But.... but... the Flicka is, how shall I put this nicely? Ugly. A pipe dream is characterized by a usually attractive boat in need of only a few things (knife-edged keel, perfect foil on rudder, hiding all that cabin height...) to make it perfect.

And then I like a straight stem far better than a clipper stem, which looks rediculous on such a little boat. But you guys (US) seem to have a knack for clipper stems and schooner riggs, no matter how little the boats are

Am I out of touch or what? $88,000 for a twenty five foot boat? Unbelievable! Looks to me like these guys are selling fried ice cream. "There's no American pocket cruiser, so we've invented one." That's about as big a crock as I've ever heard. Maybe they ought to take a look at Herreshoff and Atkin (fathers and sons), not to mention every other decent American designer. The Seabird yawl isn't a "pocket cruiser?" That design has been around almost a hundred years. I wouldn't trust anybody whose advertising is that thinly stretched. If you want a good 25 foot boat, buy one that's tried and true. There's lots of them out there.

The Cornish Crabber is a nice one. To be completely and totally honest, I hadn't even noticed that the Eastsail was a jib-headed rig because I was so fascinated with the hull and the rest of the package. So part of me cries out for a plumb-stem, gaff-rigged cutter, while the rest whispers in a very attractive way the ability to point high, and to stand up straight without bending inside the cabin.

As far as cruising grounds go... My intent is for a low-maintenance (when I mean low, I mean not having a number of high-cost repairs to perform on a semi-regular basis) boat big enough to live aboard for a few months without being in any incredible discomfort, while having the ability to single-hand her at any given time. I offered up the cruising grounds of the Florida Keys and the Intercoastal Waterway as an idea of a few teething cruises. The ICW suggests less than a 7' draft for sailboats, and a mast of 49' from waterline for getting under all the bridges.

But after these first few steps, you can expect cruising grounds to enlarge. It might be fun to see how quickly I can get from San-Fran to Hawaii, for example. So a boat that can handle most of it is a plus. So who knows. What are some other recommendations that have a full keel, traditional looks, fairly livable cabin, easily single-handed rig, low maintenance, and are about 22'-28' LOD?

Plug in your parameters. Start looking. 2108 listings between 22' and 28' in the USA and Canada.

I still think the Eddy & Duff Stone Horse fits your needs with the possible exception of headroom. There are a few older Pearson boats in that range that folks who know like a lot. "ANNIE" and her sisters are nice boats. What's the headroom, Matt? OOPS, they are wood. Too bad. There is a Bristol Channel Cutter in Victoria, B.C. for $40k. Cape Dory 28's. Zillions of choices.